Topa Institute

The Topa Bowl. Envisioned by eco-artist Skip Schuckmann and recently completed by Artem Grebennik, the new 300-capacity amphitheater is a testament to blending harmoniously with its natural surroundings. Enveloped by ancient oak trees and offering sweeping views of the Topatopa Mountains, this amphitheater embodies an earthy aesthetic that seamlessly integrates into the ancient and rugged beauty of the chaparral. Stay tuned for the upcoming Topa Bowl Concerts!

Topa Institute is 2!! 🎂 What a ride the last two years have been! We are incredibly grateful to be celebrating another year of Topa Institute, forwarding our mission of fostering creative communities and reckoning with legacies of marginalization and oppression through transformative programs and connections with nature. Our team has been busy developing and delivering transformational programs to youth and adults, producing artistic programs celebrating beauty and harmony, and caring for this beautiful land. See below the highlights of our work of the last two years. Cultivating Care Cultivating Care is our department for youth education and council offerings. Through our Rites of Passage program and council gatherings, we were able to serve over 800 students. Through these programs, students gain a deeper understanding and connection with themselves, their classmates, and the natural world. They develop a more resilient mindset, helping them move through important and difficult life transitions with more ease and wisdom. Additionally, our youth education unit offers professional development retreats for education workers of all kinds, so they can support their students year-round using the Institute’s well-honed deep listening practices. Creative Community Through our Creative Community department, we gathered creators across mediums and genres to explore and engage with art and the natural world. With a sliding-scale and donation-based fees, we were able to make the offerings financially accessible to a wider audience. We also offered partial and full scholarships to people from marginalized and low-income communities. During the two years that Skip Schuckmann served as our artist-in-residence, he redesigned all the stone pathways around the Council House, renovated two kivas, built another two, and started the amphitheater project (the Topa Bowl) that was continued and finished by Skip’s mentee Artëm Grebennik, who did a fantastic job. While Skip is still focusing on his health and recovery, he continues to share with us his brilliant ideas and vision for the land. Onsite Accommodations  After a lengthy process with Ventura County, we finally received permits to build platforms for our new, beautiful Yurt Village. The construction is scheduled to start very soon and — fingers crossed — be finished by September! What the future looks like: - Topa Bowl concerts - Many more retreats & events offerings - Opportunities for self-retreats   - More scholarships available  - Construction of a new kitchen and dining area  - A new bathhouse All this is only possible with the help of our community, which supports us by showing up to our programs, and our generous donors. Please consider donating to Topa and help us forward our mission. Donate here: https://lnkd.in/gdiDCgYB

Topa Institute welcomes 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝗹 our newest fiscally-sponsored project. Tierra Sol (tierra_sol_ojai) is an initiative that specializes in curating art and resiliency-inspired productions, research, and community engagement experiences. At the heart of its mission is creative activism—a powerful force that harnesses the transformative potential of art and culture to address pressing issues and inspire positive change. By supporting Tierra Sol, Topa Institute aims to provide a platform for the organization to expand its reach, deepen its impact, and inspire communities to actively participate in shaping a more sustainable and resilient world.